1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to tools for assisting patients with gait training, and more particularly to a gait training tool that may be removably attached to a wheelchair for enabling an improved method of gait/ambulation/walking training and/or assistance.
2. Description of Related Art
The present invention is a gait training tool adapted for assisting patients with walking using an assistive device. More specifically, the invention is used by a rehabilitation specialist, healthcare professional, gait analysis professional, restorative person/technician, aide, caretaker, or similar person (hereinafter to be referred to as “caregiver”) who provide gait/ambulation/walking training and/or assistance (hereinafter to be referred to as “gait training”). The device is used with a wheelchair, and may also be used in conjunction with a standard four-legged walker, front wheeled walker, four wheeled walker, medical walker, or similar assistive device (hereinafter to be referred to as “walker”). The invention is particularly used for patients with a gait abnormality, compromised gait pattern, medical ailment, ataxia, or similar problem, or who require increased physical assistance and/or frequent rest breaks.
Currently, gait training involves using a gait belt around the patient's waist while the staff member holds the gait belt with one hand to ensure patient safety in the event of a fall, loss of balance, knee buckling or other unfortunate event. Full attention must be given to the patient and if attention must be diverted, gait training is stopped. Signs of fatigue from the patient must be immediately observed by the staff member and the patient must be allowed to rest when needed. To ensure the patient can rest when required or if an unfortunate event occurs, the staff member must pull/guide a wheelchair behind the patient.
There are a number of complications for both the staff member and patient when using a gait belt. This gait procedure causes the staff member to be behind the patient with one hand on the gait belt and the other hand pulling the wheelchair. With the staff member behind the patient, the staff member cannot provide adequate eye-contact, assistance, visual demonstration, support, guidance and communication which is optimally beneficial to patient instruction and carryover. Also, the staff member is unable to proficiently execute the three ideal learning styles for the patient's optimal comprehension; kinesthetic, visual, and auditory.
Many patients confined to wheelchairs after surgery, strokes, accidents, joint replacements and so forth are required to undergo physical therapy to learn to stand and walk again. Ideally, this requires one caregiver to assist the patient with standing and walking and a second caregiver the push a wheelchair behind the patient in case the patient needs to sit down. This is costly due to the fact that two caregivers are needed to assist the patient.
If a second caregiver is not available, then the first caregiver must keep one hand on the patient and the other hand on the wheelchair or drag the wheelchair with his or her foot behind the patient, thus creating a dangerous situation because the caregiver does not have a solid hold on the patient.
Therefore, a need exists for a device that will allow a caregiver to pull a wheelchair behind the patient while still maintaining a solid hold on the patient, thereby eliminating the need for the second caregiver to push the wheelchair behind the patient.
Nagel, U.S. 2013/0106077, teaches a wheelchair pull strap that is attached to both the wheelchair and the caregiver, so that as the caregiver walks with the patent, he or she pulls the wheelchair along with him or her. The disadvantage of this type of strap is that the pull strap can interfere with the caregiver's use of his or her hands, and also interfere with the patient sitting in the wheelchair.
The prior art also teaches a walker that can be attached to the wheelchair, for dragging the wheelchair behind the patient. Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 2,556,121, teaches a detachable wheelchair walking apparatus that functions as a walker, and which can be attached to a wheelchair so that the walker drags the wheelchair along with the patient. While the Thomas apparatus is functional, it includes an entire walker, and is therefore large, cumbersome, and expensive.
The prior art teaches various devices for pulling a wheelchair during physical therapy. However, the prior art does not teach a simple and easy to use device that can be attached to a standard wheelchair and, optionally, to a walker, for enabling the caregiver to control the wheelchair while attending to the patient during physical therapy. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further advantages as described in the following summary.